Cow Plushie?
by Bara Aozora
Summary: [Shoujo-ai] Karen and Ann have been best friends for years, both developing certain feelings for the other. Will jealousy and Jack be able to keep them apart? Love always works in mysterious ways, but it doesn't always turn out how you planned. KarenAnn.


  
  
Author's note: I realized there were only two shoujo-ai/yuri   
  
Harvest Moon fanfics on fanfiction.net and not even one on Shoujoai.com,  
  
So I decided to start one. =) This fanfic will switch point of views   
  
throughout, depending on how I feel, I suppose XD.. and I don't own any   
  
of the characters of the game Harvest Moon: Back to Nature. And about   
  
Karen's birthday, if you picked Fall 15th for Jack's birthday, then hers  
  
changes to the 23rd. Oh yeah. And if you don't like Shoujo-ai. Don't   
  
read. If you don't know what shoujo-ai is, it literally means   
  
"girl-love" So in other words. Lesbians. Yay.  
  
'I'm at the Inn again. Sitting at the usual table, occasionally   
  
standing and ordering another beer or bottle of wine.. Why? Because I   
  
have a drinking problem? Nahh.. It's because of her. She's my best   
  
friend and one of the nicest, most athletic females I know, including   
  
myself. I wish I could tell someone about my crush on her. The crush   
  
that I've had for the past few years. But I can't, if I told anyone   
  
other than my diary, then it will spread through the village like   
  
wildfire. I swear, no one can keep their mouth shut for a damn minute.   
  
Bleh.. 7th bottle of beer and I'm not even tipsy. I think? Well..   
  
It's not like it's my money anyways. It's just that.. Oh shit. There   
  
she is.. I can't help but watch her, but it's not like she notices. I'm   
  
just her 'Best Friend' and nothing more. I'll never be anything more   
  
than just that. How could I not be? She has Jack. She could have had   
  
Cliff. What chance would I have had? A drunk, low-lifed female who can't  
  
even admit she's a lesbian. Oh shit, she's coming this way. She always   
  
looks so happy.. She always looks so happy. I wish I could be the one to  
  
make her smile like that. But.. No, she already has someone to do that.'  
  
"Hey Karen!" Ann waved to Karen as she took a seat across from   
  
her at the table.  
  
Karen smirked back at her with a half greeting, pretending to be  
  
drunk already just in case something slips out. Always be careful,   
  
Karen, Always be careful.  
  
"Guess what's coming up?" She looked excited, or at least more   
  
excited than she usually was.  
  
Karen replied with an arched eyebrow, "What?" She was inwardly   
  
hoping, 'My birthday..?'  
  
"Jack's birthday!" Ann giggled her usual hyper-active, cute way.  
  
She pouted a little when she saw Karen's face fault, but she hid it   
  
almost instantly in hopes of cheering her up. Ann wasn't one to leave   
  
Karen pissed off or saddened, "And guess what you're gonna do!"  
  
Karen sighed and shook her head a little, 'Here it comes, she's   
  
going to say, "You're gonna help me pick a present for him!" They've   
  
been going out for a year and a half now and she doesn't know what he   
  
likes.. I wish she would remember my birthday.' despite her thoughts,   
  
she decided to humour the girl like she always did, "What am I gonna do?"  
  
"You're gonna help me pick a present for him!" She smiled at her  
  
and saw her disapproval. She stood, walking around the table to the   
  
other side and taking one of Karen's hands in both of hers and kneeling   
  
in front of her, begging for her to help, "Aww.. Please Karen? It'll   
  
mean so much to me!"  
  
Karen felt the heat in her cheeks and tried to hide it, looking   
  
at Ann then to the wall, examining the cracks in the wall a little, 'I   
  
knew it.' she looked back at the girl kneeling in front of her,   
  
muttering a half-hearted approval.  
  
Ann smiled that energetic smile of hers and hugged her friend in  
  
an outburst of grateful squeals, "Eee! Thank you thank you thank you! I   
  
owe you more now! For this year AND last year!"  
  
'You've already paid your debt by just being my friend for all   
  
these years..' Karen thought to herself, returning the forceful hug   
  
reluctantly, "Damn right you owe me." She smirked at her again and gave   
  
her a little thumbs up, "Don't worry, with my help, Jack's present for   
  
your birthday will look like nothing! We'll shop around tomorrow." 'I   
  
guess pretending to be drunk didn't really work for a long time.'  
  
Ann smiled and released the brown haired, blonde streaked girl   
  
from her deathgrip and walked to the counter, saying she'll be back in a  
  
moment. She got herself a beer and another one for Karen, walking back   
  
to the table and setting them there, taking her seat across from her and   
  
popping one open, "Got another round for you." She giggled before she   
  
sipped her beer.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
'So now we're shopping. Considering Jack doesn't like anything   
  
except Ann and Farming, this might be a tad more difficult than I   
  
thought. Maybe it would just be easier to make something.'  
  
"OH LOOK! Karen, this one's so cute!" Ann held another medium   
  
size cow plushie right in front of Karen's face and hit it against her   
  
nose lightly, as if saying, 'Kissy kissy kissy!'.  
  
Karen sweatdropped a little at the other's girl's choices in   
  
gifts for a male, starting to shake her head a little but stopping   
  
herself, thinking, 'If she gets him that plushie, it would make her   
  
happy, and he would most likely strain to make her happy by pretending   
  
to like it.' Karen smiled and gave her another thumbs up like she did   
  
the night before, "That seems like something he would like! He has a   
  
few cows on his ranch, right?"  
  
Ann nodded, obviously not sensing the unusual optimism in   
  
Karen's voice, hugged the plushie again and looked at the other girl   
  
with a grin, "He does! Oooh. I can't wait to give it to him tomorrow!"   
  
It was Fall 14th, a day before Jack's birthday.  
  
Karen just smiled, deciding not to say anything for fear that   
  
her jealously might leak out a little. 'Nine days until my birthday..   
  
Wonder if she'll even realize it.'   
  
Ann purchased the overly-cute stuffed cow and held it in her   
  
arms as she walked with her best friend along the sidewalks of their   
  
tiny village. Ann glanced over to Karen with a little bite of her lip,   
  
thinking for a few seconds as she watched her, 'What if I hadn't gone   
  
with Jack..? Would I have had a chance? ..With Kar-.. No. Don't think   
  
that. She's not bisexual like you are, you should be ashamed of yourself   
  
Ann.' She quickly looked away, looking down at the plushie in her arms   
  
again and sighed inwardly, 'And besides, you have Jack, don't worry   
  
about what -could- have been. Worry about what -is-. And anyways, I bet   
  
she likes Rick.. She seems to be talking to him alot now a days.' Ann   
  
arched an eyebrow at her, thinking she might be able to read her mind,   
  
but to no avail, 'Maybe I'll just ask her.' Ann looked away for a minute   
  
then back at Karen again with a little sweatdrop, seeing that the girl   
  
looked downtrodden and unwilling to speak, 'Maybe later.'  
  
Karen noticed the awkward silence between them and sighed a   
  
little, attempting to break it with some hesitant conversation, "Wanna   
  
go to the Inn and wrap that for him?" She looked over to the girl to   
  
catch a glimpse of her looking down at the plushie quickly and with   
  
what she could have sworn was a blush.   
  
Ann agreed to the idea quickly, appearing as if she was on edge.   
  
She smiled up at her again, hiding something in her expression, and   
  
Karen caught on, she wasn't as dense as her friend and she noticed   
  
practically everything about her. She didn't put her thoughts and   
  
observations into words because she had a feeling the girl wouldn't   
  
want to explain herself. She was probably just nervous about giving the   
  
present to Jack anyways. Or something. It didn't seem like a good enough   
  
reason, though.  
  
They made their way to the inn with light, yet awkward,   
  
conversation about Popuri, Elli, and Mary. Honestly, they gossip almost   
  
as much as their mothers do. "..I swear she's hiding something behind   
  
those books." Karen commented as they entered Ann's room in the back.   
  
Ann giggled in response and sat on her bed, looking at a picture of her   
  
and Jack standing beside each other, framed in a plain wooden frame,   
  
blushing a little. Beside it, was an adorably decorated frame that said,   
  
'Best Friends Forever!' Along the border with a picture of Karen and Ann   
  
when they were about 10 years old, their arms around each other in a   
  
friendly hug as they both looked towards the camera, "Aw, look Karen!   
  
Remember this?" Ann picked up the framed picture and examined it while   
  
a feeling of remembrance came over her.  
  
Karen made her way over to Ann and sat beside her on the bed as   
  
she looked at the picture on the dresser before the one in her hands,   
  
her eyes seeing the picture of Jack and Ann together and grimacing a   
  
little, 'Damnit.. It just keeps getting worse doesn't it..' She turned   
  
her attention to the picture in the tomboy girl's hands and smiled as   
  
she touched the frame with her fingertips, "I remember." She reminisced   
  
to herself as she thought back to those days, they didn't worry about   
  
boys or relationships or jealousy, it was always just "Ann and Karen,   
  
Best friends forever!" Until she turned 15 and she started having   
  
different feelings towards her. 'I miss those carefree days..' She   
  
looked at Ann instead of the picture with saddened, regretful eyes for a   
  
bit.  
  
Ann sighed a little in her nostalgic state, "I miss those   
  
carefree days." Karen watched her, partially astonished by the accuracy   
  
of their similar thoughts. "It's so hard to believe we were that small   
  
back then!" She giggled again at their cute chibi forms in the pictures   
  
and looked back at Karen, growing silent as she was caught in her gaze.   
  
She realized how close to each other they were when she felt the other   
  
girl's breath on her cheek. They stayed silent for a moment that felt   
  
like hours, just staring at each other uncomfortably. Ann broke the   
  
silence this time as she swallowed a lump in her throat, glancing down   
  
at Karen's lips and licking her own, thinking, 'What if.. I..'  
  
Karen kept her eyes locked on the other girl, forgetting about   
  
the discarded plushie beside them on the bed and the cute picture in the   
  
other girl's hands. She caught and took note of every movement that the   
  
girl made. When she swallowed, when her eyes moved, when she licked her   
  
lips.. It almost became too much. Karen just wanted to wrap her arms   
  
around her and press her own lips against those soft looking, pink lips   
  
of hers. She wanted the moments they had like this to last forever.   
  
Yet.. She couldn't. And she wouldn't. She realized her head had already   
  
started moving forward, quickly stopping herself and pulling her head   
  
back.. "I.. Sorry.."  
  
Ann snapped out of her daze and pulled back as well, both now   
  
blushing a deep crimson. Ann started to catch her breath quietly, "You   
  
don't have to be sorry.. Don't.. Don't worry about it." She looked down   
  
at the picture again and slowly, carefully placed it back onto the   
  
dresser beside her bed and put her arms behind herself as if to regain   
  
her balance, touching the plushie and remembering exactly why they were   
  
there. She smiled at Karen awkwardly, holding up the cow and motioning   
  
to the wrapping paper on her desk. "L-Let's get started then!"  
  
Karen simply nodded, once again not trusting her voice for a   
  
minute or so. She stood first and made her way to the desk, the blush   
  
still remaining on her cheek, trying desperately to push it down or hide   
  
it somehow, 'I almost kissed her back there. I almost threw away a   
  
friendship that meant everything to me in a simple movement. Just.. A   
  
few inches. Stupid, Karen. Really.' She decided to test her vocal   
  
chords, "I think you.. Ahem.. you should find a box for.. That cow   
  
thing." She was still in a little state of shock and thoughts of,   
  
'What if I did it..?' were still embedded into her mind. She shook her   
  
head inwardly, trying to push that thought as far back in her brain as   
  
mentally possible.  
  
Ann was going through the same mental state as Karen, stuttering   
  
a response, "R-Right, a box." Ann turned and walked towards her closet   
  
in a rush, bumping into the table in a clumsy fashion. She winced as the   
  
open scissors on the table came in contact with her left arm. "Ah!" She   
  
winced as she pulled back from the table, nearly stumbling or tripping   
  
onto something else, her arm bleeding a little bit.  
  
Karen rushed over to her and looked at her with a worried   
  
expression, "Are you alright?" She noticed the blood on the other girl's   
  
arm, oozing down towards her hand and she bit her lip thinking, 'Ouch.   
  
That must sting.' She looked at it carefully and gave her a little pout,   
  
"You have to be more careful, Ann! Um.. I'll be right back, okay?"   
  
"Alright.. I'll be here." Ann replied with a little sweatdrop,   
  
'Smooth move, Ann. Really smooth.'   
  
Karen stepped out of the room and walked to the washroom,   
  
getting a wet cloth, iodine, a dry cloth, and a band-aid or two, walking   
  
back to Ann's room. She smirked a little as she looked at the girl,   
  
trying to lighten the mood a little, "So clumsy. This is gonna sting a   
  
bit more, but it'll make it heal faster and be clean and stuff. You   
  
ready?"  
  
Ann bit her lip and looked at the bottle of iodine as Karen   
  
cleaned her cut with the wet cloth, just in case of any infections. She   
  
always hated iodine, "Alright.. I'm ready." Karen nodded at her and   
  
applied some of the iodine skillfully, as if she had done this before.   
  
Ann winced at the contact of the liquid and her open wound, shutting her   
  
eyes and biting back the tears to show she was stronger than she looked.   
  
Karen finished attending to the cut and put the bandage on her   
  
wound, kissing it lightly and smiling at her like a nurse, "All better!   
  
Really, Ann, what would you do without me?" She grinned and watched the   
  
other girl sigh a little in relief.  
  
Ann thanked her, remembering when she used to do that for her   
  
when she was younger. "Accidentally fall off the dock, maybe. First Aid   
  
lessons from Elli really pay off." She smiled at her, the thought of   
  
Karen's lips kissing where she was hurt making her want to hurt herself   
  
more often.  
  
The brown haired girl smiled again, putting the scissors closer   
  
to the middle of the table and grabbing a box, that was big enough to   
  
fit the cow in, from the closet, "This should do, right?" She held the   
  
box up, the tension from the earlier moments fading.  
  
Ann nodded and gave her a little thumbs up, "That's perfect!"   
  
And in no time, they had the cow plushie wrapped in paper that had   
  
hearts on them, ready for Jack to receive the next day.  
  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
It was now Fall 15th and Ann was starting to get anxious about   
  
the present. She didn't really have much of a reason to, since it was   
  
just a cow, 'But what if he doesn't like it?' She doubted herself for a   
  
moment and thought back to the other day, 'Of course he'll like it,   
  
Karen helped me pick it out and she's always right!' She held the   
  
present tightly in her arms as she walked onto the Maple Farm, seeing   
  
that Jack had already started to work in the fields. She called out to   
  
him from the mailbox and smiled, "Hey Jack! Happy birthday!"   
  
Jack looked up at the sound of his name and smiled, wiping the   
  
sweat off of his brow as he called back to her, "Thank you! I'll be   
  
there in a second, I just have to finish watering this patch!" He   
  
continued with his work for a minute or so.  
  
Ann watched him, getting a little impatient because she had   
  
been anxious that whole morning. She pouted a little as she held the   
  
present tighter, then loosened her grip when she noticed Jack walking   
  
towards her. "Here, Jack! Happy birthday!" She handed him the present   
  
and smiled her usual happy smile, hiding all her feelings of impatience   
  
from him.  
  
Jack took the present happily, this not being the first present   
  
he got that day, but glad that his girlfriend remembered. The first one   
  
he received that day was from Popuri. He opened the present and   
  
sweatdropped as he looked into the box, pulling out the stuffed cow and   
  
faking a smile, "I.. I love it." He gave her a little kiss on the cheek   
  
and put it back into the box, the sweatdrop practically visible on his   
  
head.  
  
Ann watched him carefully, not dense enough to miss his false   
  
joy. She knew how bad of an actor Jack was, and she wasn't happy about   
  
it. "Really..?" She pried a little, one arm rubbing her other one with   
  
a little uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. He reassured   
  
her that he liked the present.  
  
After a moment of hesitation, Ann left Jack to finish his work   
  
and went back to the Inn to work for her dad.  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
Five days passed from Jack's birthday, and Ann hadn't seen much   
  
of him or Karen in those days, "Stupid work. What I do to get some   
  
money, Geez." She had been working overtime to earn enough money to buy   
  
a present for Karen's birthday, hating the fact that her best friend and  
  
her boyfriend had such close birthdays. "Fall is such a busy season for   
  
me.."  
  
She walked over to the Blacksmith Shop with a look of stress on   
  
her face as she entered. "Hi, do you make Jewellery here?"   
  
Saibara, the blacksmith, looked at her through the slits of his   
  
always closed eyes and nodded a little, "Yes."  
  
Ann smiled happily, the orichalcum ore in her pocket making a   
  
bulge in her side, "That's great! Do you think you could make a locket   
  
for me by the 22nd?"  
  
The old man nodded again, standing from his place and watching   
  
the girl with one of his eyebrows in an arch, "I will need an ore of   
  
Orichalcum and.. A certain fee. Especially for a custom piece of   
  
jewellery as the one you are asking of me." He smirked, a glint forming   
  
from the slits he used as eyes.  
  
Ann smirked and nodded a little, handing him 20,000G and the   
  
Orichalcum, "10,000 for the payment, and 10,000 more to make it perfect   
  
and on time. And.. And to make it heart-shaped."  
  
He stared at the money for a moment as if verifying it before   
  
he took it into his hands, along with the ore, "It is a pleasure to do   
  
buisness with you." He moved to his workplace and smiled at the girl in   
  
a sincere way as she walked towards the door, "No worries, I shall have   
  
it prepared for you by Miss Karen's birthday."   
  
Ann stopped before she walked out the door completely, "How did   
  
you.."   
  
"I know much more about youth than it may seem." He smiled as he   
  
worked on the ore, hearing the door shut behind the confused orange-red   
  
headed girl.  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
In the next morning, Karen sighed as she listened to the sounds   
  
of birds chirping and singing. She decided to stop her walk in the   
  
mountain forest in a spot where you could still see the view past some   
  
of the trees. The morning air felt cold against her skin, but she didn't   
  
mind much. It was a refreshing feeling right after you wake up, after   
  
all. She wrapped her arms around herself to stop her newly forming   
  
goosebumps from appearing. 'We used to come up here alot..'   
  
She reminisced, sitting on the dewy grass in an opening of the   
  
forest as she watched a baby bird attempt to fly, falling in mid-air and   
  
the mother catching it, 'Then she almost fell off the mountain, and was   
  
never allowed to come up here with me alone again.' So.. only two more   
  
days until her birthday, and still no sign of Ann remembering.  
  
"I thought I'd find you up here."  
  
Karen turned to see the owner of the voice, recognizing it   
  
almost immediately, "Hey Ann, I thought you're not allowed up here."   
  
She grinned a little at her and Ann walked towards her, sitting on the   
  
cold, wet grass beside her.  
  
"I asked your mom where you were, she said you went for a walk.   
  
So this was the first place I decided to check, since you're always up   
  
here when you're not with me anyways. Here, or at the bar." Ann smiled   
  
at her genuinely, causing Karen to smile back.  
  
Again, another moment of awkward silence between them.  
  
"I've been thinking.." Karen suddenly said without warning. 'Oh   
  
Goddess.. Should I?'  
  
"About what, Karen?" Ann looked at her with an interested smile.  
  
Karen hesitated a little, looking down at the damp grass and   
  
realizing her pants must be wet at the bottom right now, 'What a day to   
  
wear jeans.' but didn't take it into mind, 'I'm going to tell her. I've   
  
put this off for years, but..' She inhaled and turned to the girl, a   
  
look of confidence, fire, and determination in her eyes, "Ann, I've   
  
been your friend for years now, right?"  
  
Ann looked at her with a little confused look, focusing her eyes   
  
on the other girl's, "Yes, you have."  
  
Karen bit her lip and broke the eye contact for a moment, the   
  
fire decreasing as she thought, 'Crap. I can't do this.. I can't do   
  
this!' but despite her thoughts, she continued without looking at her   
  
again, "I don't really know how to put this into words.. But I've been   
  
having these feelings lately.." She sighed inwardly and cursed herself,   
  
'Okay so not so lately, and you do know how to put it into words. You   
  
just say, "I love you Ann, I have for years now!" JUST SAY IT, KAREN!   
  
Get it over with!'  
  
Ann arched her eyebrows a little in confusion, blinking a couple   
  
of times, 'Oh Goddess.. Is she having the birds and the bees   
  
conversation with me? No, can't be! The pastor already told us about   
  
that.' She watched her wordlessly, searching for any possibilities of   
  
anything else it could be, '..Is she confessing?' She eyed her   
  
suspiciously, "What kind of feelings..?"  
  
"Feelings for you." Karen said simply, her cheeks turning red as   
  
she clenched her hands a little, afraid of the rejection that is about   
  
to come.  
  
Ann's eyes widened, a mix of emotions raging through her at a   
  
million miles an hour. She felt Happiness because.. Well.. The best   
  
friend that she had been in love with for years now just said that she   
  
had feelings for her, sadness because she couln't do anything about it   
  
right now because she was with someone already, stupid Jack, but most of   
  
all, regret from the thought of what she'd been doing to her best friend   
  
lately with her going on and on about Jack and his birthday when she was   
  
just hiding her feelings for her, "I-.."  
  
She was cut off by Karen, who continued before she could be   
  
rejected, "I figured you didn't remember my birthday, right..? You were   
  
so caught up in Jack's birthday that mine didn't even come into mind."  
  
Ann was about to reply, but she was wordless. Shocked that she   
  
could even think that way. Ann had guessed right. She was hurting her   
  
with Jack, his birthday, and hiding the present she planned for her.   
  
That was the last thing she wanted, to hurt her best friend, "It did.."  
  
Karen sighed a little, looking at the girl with different eyes,   
  
Sad eyes, 'She's just saying that..'. They were no longer fiery or   
  
determined. They were scared, innocent and hopeful eyes. Eyes that were   
  
filled to the brim with tears, tears that she caused, "He was all you   
  
could talk about.." She choked back a sob, "All you could think about.."   
  
She was upset at herself for almost crying, 'Don't cry!' She let a   
  
single tear roll down her heated cheeks, "You didn't even give me a   
  
second look, Ann." She hated and loved herself at the same time for   
  
letting it all out.  
  
Ann was watching her the whole time, 'She was jealous of him..   
  
And she doesn't know how much I dream of her and I. How much I stare at   
  
her picture at night just wishing she returned my feelings. And now..   
  
She just might. But I can't, I have Jack and I can't be unfaithful..'   
  
She waited a little to see if she was finished before she began to speak   
  
again, "I'm so sorry that I hurt you, Karen.." She thought once again,   
  
'I never would have guessed she had feelings for me.' Ann bit her lip a   
  
little before turning her body towards her and wrapping her arms around   
  
her neck with tears starting to form in her own eyes as she whispered   
  
into the other girl's ear, "Karen.. You don't know how wrong you are. I   
  
do care about you, you're my best friend after all." She couldn't say   
  
that she loved her.. Not yet.  
  
Karen returned the hug, a little surprised herself at the   
  
reaction, "Yo-"  
  
It was Ann's turn to interrupt her this time, smiling at her as   
  
she pulled away from her a little, but still stayed at arm's length,   
  
"I'm going to throw you a party." She smirked at her and poked her   
  
forehead lightly, "And you better come."  
  
Karen blinked a couple of times, taking the time to register   
  
the thought in her mind, "I-I will." She stammered.  
  
Ann smiled and stood, holding her hand out to help Karen up,   
  
"I'm gonna buy supplies and stuff, do you want to come with?"  
  
Karen, hesitated and looked at the view of the mountain and   
  
shook her head at the girl, "I think I'll stay here for a little.." She   
  
wrapped her arms around her knees and started to think about what just   
  
happened, trying to make sense of it and such as Ann walked off back to   
  
town. Ann glanced back at her a few times, but left the area and walked   
  
back down the path. 'So.. I just told her I had FEELINGS for her? Did I   
  
say "LOVE" at all? Okay. Well, she gets the point, right? I hope she   
  
does.' She sighed to herself in mild frustration, "I'm a dumbass." She   
  
shook her head and thought more, 'So she cares about me.. Enough to   
  
throw me a party at least. I guess I am 1% in her mind when the other   
  
99% of it is overthrown by Jack.'  
  
----------------------------------------  
  
So Ann goes back to the village, not finding Jack anywhere, so   
  
she went to Jack's farm, Maple Farm around noon. She stepped through   
  
the gate and called out, "Jack! Jaaaack!"   
  
She looked around suspiciously because she felt that it was a   
  
bit quiet. A bit too quiet. The silence was suddenly broken by a moan   
  
from a familiar voice. Her eyes narrowed as she realized who it was and   
  
muttered under her breath, "Popuri.."   
  
Ann walked behind the house and proved her suspicious instinct   
  
correct. There was Jack, his face covered by a familiar pink head of   
  
hair, his hands halfway up her shirt and up her skirt at the same time.   
  
She felt her blood boiling to the point she thought she would explode,   
  
tears welling up in her eyes again, but not letting them fall. She   
  
refused to cry over the cheating bastard for doing this. She chose him   
  
over Karen, who actually returned her feelings (In an unclear way of   
  
confessing), and he STILL has the nerve to go around behind her back,   
  
"I HATE YOU, JACK!"   
  
She stormed into view and Jack and Popuri immediately seperated,   
  
trying to straighten themselves out quickly. Jack stuttered out an   
  
excuse, "I-It's not what you think!"  
  
"Not what I think?" She laughed bitterly and glared at him,   
  
"You, with your hand in her skirt and in her shirt, and I suppose you're   
  
just giving her a massage. Or checking for breast cancer?!" She shook   
  
her head in disgust and continued. "You've just been doing this little   
  
slut behind my back all this time, haven't you?"   
  
Jack was speechless, Popuri was ashamed, but was in love with   
  
Jack ever since she first saw him. None of them said anything of excuse   
  
to Ann.  
  
"I get it.. I'll just leave you to your sex then." She walked   
  
out of the Farm gates with a clear path now. 'I should have been with   
  
Karen from the start. I love her. I really.. really do love her.'   
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Karen had stayed in the mountain for a few hours after Ann went   
  
to buy decorations for that party. She was just thinking, watching the   
  
scenery, and relaxing in the hot spring for a little. Ann actually   
  
hadn't bought them until the morning after, but it was alright. Karen   
  
was now walking along the sidewalks of the town again, it was about 3 pm   
  
and she was bored. Maybe she should have gone with Ann to buy things, it   
  
would be better than this.   
  
She wondered where the red-head was as she reached the Inn,   
  
opening the door and seeing they were already open. She walked to the   
  
bar and looked at Ann's father, smiling at him as she usually did, "The   
  
usual, Karen?" He asked her.  
  
She shook her head and smirked a bit at him, "No, not yet. But   
  
have you seen Ann?"  
  
He looked down as he picked up a dirty mug, sticking his rag in   
  
there and starting to clean it, "Yeah, but she didn't say anything to me   
  
when she came in. She didn't look like she wanted to talk, so I didn't   
  
ask. She seems to be in kind of a bad mood, so I wouldn't talk to her   
  
right now."  
  
Karen blinked a couple of times as she looked at the door to the   
  
back, where Ann's room was. She looked worried, but figured, 'If she   
  
plans on telling me, she'll tell me when she's ready.' Even though Karen   
  
still wanted to know what it was that was bothering the other girl. 'I   
  
hope she's ready soon. I mean.. I just talked to her and she seemed   
  
happy about the party. Unless she's crying because of what I said. Maybe   
  
she hates me now! ..Oh no.' She looked down worried, tempted to go in   
  
there and ask, 'No.. Don't assume things, Karen.. She's probably just   
  
having a bad day. I can ask her about it later..' She took a deep   
  
breath, thanked Ann's Father and walked out the door.  
  
So once again, the brown-haired girl was bored. Except now she   
  
had more on her mind and more to worry about. 'What could be wrong with   
  
Ann..? She never walks into the Inn without giving her Dad a greeting.   
  
She never stays cooped up in her room all day because she's too hyper   
  
and happy for that.' She stepped out of the Inn and started towards the   
  
Maple Farm in a slow, pondering pace. It was 5 pm and she figured she   
  
might wander around until it was 8 pm and get a beer later. 'Maybe   
  
something happened with Jack. She most likely went to see him after she   
  
decided on starting a party. Oh yeah.. The party. If she doesn't feel   
  
better, she might not even want to have a party for me anymore..'   
  
She was becoming pessimistic! Bad Karen, Bad! After hanging   
  
around Ann all these years you'd think she's be a bit spunkier than she   
  
was. Or maybe it was because the spunky one wasn't feeling quite so   
  
happy that day. She made her way through the gates and looked around for   
  
Jack or anyone in the farm. "Hey, Jack! You here?" She walked around for   
  
a bit then checked in the house, no one. She checked in the chicken   
  
coop, no one. Suddenly, a faint giggle could be barely heard from the   
  
stables. Karen blinked a couple of times, thinking, 'I thought Ann was   
  
in the Inn.'   
  
She opened the door to the barn in case she was mistaken and   
  
saw a fluff of pink. ..Pink? Oh Goddess, it was Popuri! Jack was   
  
two-timing Ann with Popuri! WITH POPURI! Karen stared wide eyed for a   
  
moment before closing the stable doors again, turning and running back   
  
to the town, breathing hard from her sprint as she looked back at the   
  
Farm. 'How am I supposed to tell Ann..? Would she even believe me? Would   
  
she think I was jealous?  
  
Then a thought occured to Karen, 'Maybe that's why she was   
  
feeling so horrible.' Karen sighed and took her eyes off of the farm   
  
and started back to the Inn, it being afer 7 pm now. Karen had been   
  
taking her time that day.   
  
She stepped inside the Inn and ordered a beer, chugging it down   
  
and shaking her head a little.. "Poor Ann.."  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Ann walked straight to the supermarket the morning after that   
  
ordeal, the tears in her eyes never falling over that boy. It was   
  
Karen's birthday and her birthday party tomorrow and she had to prepare.   
  
"Hi, is Karen home?"  
  
Sasha shook her head and smiled at her for a little, "She's   
  
still out, I'm sorry. But is there anything else I can do for you, Ann?"  
  
"Actually yes, there is!" Ann smiled at her and told her about   
  
her idea for Karen's birthday party, inviting her and Jeff, Karen's dad.   
  
"So I'm going to need party supplies to decorate the Inn with."  
  
Sasha nodded and showed her the supplies in a corner, the   
  
selection of streamers and balloons and colors amazing Ann because she   
  
never noticed that part of the store before, "This is perfect! How much   
  
will it cost..?"  
  
Karen's mom simply shook her head and smiled at her again,   
  
"There's no need, it's my daughter's party after all."  
  
Ann smiled happily and gave her a little thumbs up, "Don't   
  
worry! I'll have that party looking awesome!" She received the supplies   
  
in a bag and brought them quickly to the inn, with a bounce in her step.  
  
As she reached the building, she had started to decorate almost   
  
immediately, forgetting to ask her father for permission.  
  
"Ann, what are you doing..?" Her father asked with an arched   
  
eyebrow, his eyes following her as she sped back and forth across the   
  
room. It was only about 11 am, not even lunchtime yet, and they were   
  
going to open soon.  
  
"Oh yeah! Dad, can I hold a party for Karen's birthday here?   
  
Thanks!" She said it quickly as she continued to put up decorations that   
  
were mostly blue, purple, and yellow. She seemed really psyched up about   
  
this party. She was using the party as a way to let out her stress and   
  
anger towards Jack and Popuri, but for the most part, it was to make   
  
Karen happy. So Ann had a mix of emotions between ticked off and   
  
extremely excited.  
  
Her father sweatdropped at her violent decorating, watching her   
  
pound the tape and balloons into the walls forcefully. "Are you angry   
  
about something, hun?"  
  
"No Dad! I'm not angry about my boyfriend cheating on me with   
  
that little pink haired woman! I'm not mad for picking him over Karen a   
  
year and a half ago because I was so stupid to think that she didn't   
  
like me back! I'm perfectly peachy, Dad! JUST PEACHY!" She burst out as   
  
she nearly pounded a hole into the wall she was working on.  
  
Her father, being, pretty much, the only family she had, she   
  
told him everything, knowing that he wouldn't tell anyone and betray   
  
her trust. So he knew about Ann's crush on Karen ever since she was 14,  
  
"That boy did what!? With who?! I'm going to teach him a thing or two   
  
about treating a woman, I will!" He clenched his fists and looked   
  
towards the door with a glare in his eyes.   
  
He let the second part of Ann's rant sink in and he looked at   
  
her with a blink, "Karen returns your feelings? Well, isn't that great?   
  
Shouldn't you be happy?" He supported his daughter completely, thinking   
  
if he disagreed with her then she'll end up hiding things from him. It   
  
wasn't like he had any problems with lesbians and gays, anyways. Plus,   
  
if his daughter was a lesbian, then no worries about becoming pregnant   
  
or having to babysit, "You should leave the boy and be with Karen!"  
  
Ann thought this sounded weird coming from someone who wasn't   
  
her own mind, but was glad that her Father understood how she felt. She   
  
realized something that moment though. She SHOULD be with Karen! She   
  
should have been from the start, but what's past is past. After the   
  
party, she's going to tell her how she feels! She'll tell her that she   
  
loves her, she'll give her the awesome present, and they'll live happily   
  
ever after while Jack and Popuri watch from the stands in jealousy!  
  
She had stood in silence for a moment with a grin on her face,   
  
her hands on the decorations. She didn't even notice that it was almost   
  
done and that her father started helping her, doing the finishing   
  
touches on the decor. It was about 11:50 am now and people were going   
  
to start coming in soon. Not for the party, of course, but for regular   
  
working hours.  
  
"Oh no! They can't come in yet! Karen will be in here too and   
  
she can't see until the party tomorrow!" She panicked a little as she   
  
looked at her dad with a little pout, "Dad, Um.. Do you think we could   
  
close the bar for one night..? You get a night off and my party won't   
  
be ruined!"  
  
He hesitated a moment and looked at his daughter, the clock, the  
  
bar, then the door. He pouted also, giving up and nodding, walking to   
  
the door. 11:57 am. He put the dusty sign that says, "We'll be closed   
  
for tonight." on the knob and looked at his daughter.   
  
She gave him a look that said, 'I'm sorry, but I'll make it up   
  
to you with lots and lots of cooking.' and she decided to help her dad   
  
clean up around the bar so it looked presentable, getting all the spots   
  
and stains off the tables and counter, telling her dad, "You can rest   
  
for tonight! It's your first night off in a while, so I can handle   
  
cleaning and preparing for tomorrow. It'll start at 6 pm, so be nice   
  
and presentable by that time, Kay?" She pushed him into the room before   
  
he got the chance to argue or try to help.  
  
Ann started to work on a banner to hang across the staircase   
  
that said "Happy Birthday Karen!". She kneeled in front of the paper   
  
and started to draw the outline, working on her additions to the already   
  
wonderful decorations.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
It was finally the 23rd, Karen's birthday. The day before, Ann   
  
had worked on the decorations, invited people for about an hour, and   
  
bought some of the food which didn't have to be refrigerated, like chips   
  
and snacks like that.  
  
She woke up at 7 am, anxious to get to the blacksmith and pick   
  
up the present she ordered for Karen. She stretched and sat up in her   
  
bed, glancing to the side and seeing the picture of her and Jack. Her   
  
eyes narrowing a little, she lied the picture down on its front angrily   
  
because she didn't want to see it. She quickly stood and dressed into   
  
her usual clothes, stepping out of the Inn quietly because her dad was   
  
still sleeping.  
  
Once again, she felt the cold morning air, though it wasn't as   
  
moist as the mountain air. She put her hands behind her head and yawned   
  
a little as she stood outside the Inn, "Ahh.. What a great day for a   
  
party!" She giggled and quickly made her way to Saibara's Blacksmith   
  
Shop, seeing the sign and sweatdropping.. "Still closed."  
  
She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest and looked at her   
  
watch, wondering what time it'll be opened. She shook her head and   
  
walked away from the blacksmith with a disappointed expression, "I   
  
wanted to put a picture of us in it.."  
  
Ann figured she'll take a little walk before she started cooking   
  
for later. She thought back to her resolution to confess her love to   
  
Karen and nibbled a little on her nail nervously, "What would I say?"   
  
She decided to practice how she would confess, just so she'll be able   
  
to look back on her moment and know she said the right thing.  
  
She thought about what she would say to Karen when she came to   
  
the party first, because if she didn't talk to her during the party, it   
  
would be awkward afterwards. "I haven't even talked to her since   
  
yesterday morning.. Maybe I should just say, 'Happy Birthday, Karen'   
  
first.."  
  
"Why thank you, Ann!" Karen smirked and put her hand on her   
  
surprised friend's shoulder. She kept her right arm around the girl's   
  
shoulder as she walked on her left side, laughing a little. "Why are   
  
you up so early?" She grinned as she looked at the girl happily.  
  
'She seems alot more cheerful than before.. Guess that's what   
  
birthdays do to people. Glad I didn't pick up the present yet or I might   
  
have been caught.' She smiled at Karen and put her arm around her waist   
  
shyly as they walked, "I'm just getting ready for the party!" She   
  
mentally added on, 'Oh sure.. Thinking of what to cook, practicing what   
  
I'm going to say later, maybe add a few more decorations. At least it   
  
was half true.'   
  
Karen nodded a little, grinned, and walked with her to the Inn,   
  
"If you want, I could help you cook! After all, it's my party." She   
  
sweatdropped as she added on, "..Plus I have nothing else to do." Karen   
  
laughed a little to herself as she rubbed the back of her own neck in   
  
embarassment, stopping in front of the Inn door. She wanted to ask Ann   
  
about Jack and Popuri, but she didn't know how to bring it up. If she   
  
did know, and Karen did bring it up, Ann would be heartbroken.  
  
"Be sure not to burn the Inn down before the party then, Miss   
  
Karen." Ann smirked at her as she opened the door for her, not yet   
  
showing Karen the results of all her work from yesterday, "But now, let   
  
me be the first to say, Happy b-.."  
  
She was interrupted again by a smug-looking Karen putting her   
  
finger on Ann's lips, "You already did."  
  
"Let me finish!" Ann cleared her throat with overexaggeration,   
  
her hand in front of her mouth to add to the effect, "Let me be the   
  
first to DIRECTLY say to your face.. Happy birthday, Karen!" She gave   
  
her friend a hug and guided her into the Inn.  
  
Ann smiled as she showed Karen the decorations she worked so   
  
hard on, liking the reaction that came upon her face. She reminded Ann   
  
of a younger Karen who used to be as giggly and hyper as she was when   
  
she had her moments. Though she didn't have many of those moments, this   
  
was one of the special times where she was reminded of the cute little   
  
girl she fell in love with, "It's beautiful, Ann! I love it!"  
  
Karen walked into the building with a look of excitement in her   
  
eyes, reading the banner and smiling back at the girl, "You really did   
  
too much, Ann."  
  
Ann sweatdropped a little at herself and rubbed the back of her   
  
neck in embarassment, "You think?" She pouted a little and looked at the   
  
decorations then back at Karen. She had almost completely forgotten   
  
about her negativity against Jack and Popuri.  
  
"But it still looks great!" Karen reassured her, actually really   
  
loving the look of the Inn, but not wanting to make herself seem too   
  
eager or anxious to party, "Let's start cooking!"  
  
Meanwhile.. Saibara looked at his work proudly, the heart-shaped   
  
locket, made from the Orichalcum, shimmering in the light of his   
  
worktable. He smiled a little as he carved a little rose into the cover   
  
and inscribed on the inside, japanese characters that said, "Aishiteru."  
  
Old people know everything, don't they?  
  
Anyways, back to Karen and Ann. They started on the pizza, since   
  
Ann was a genius at making pizza. Karen had always wondered how she made   
  
it taste so good, and asked if she could teach her.   
  
Ann had agreed, wanting to spend as much alone time with her,   
  
while she was so energetic, as possible. Except when she goes to pick up   
  
the present, then that's a whole new thing. They started to make some   
  
dough and Ann gave a little tutorial along the way. Karen watched and   
  
mimiced her movements, occasionally asking a few questions.  
  
"Are there supposed to be air pockets in the dough?" She arched   
  
her eyebrow at her new 'sensei' and looked down at her dough again.   
  
"Because I think it has some.."  
  
Ann looked over from her perfect roll of dough to Karen's and   
  
sweatdropped a little, seeing the mess she had, "Well, it's better that  
  
they don't so the crust and stuff doesn't inflate.. Here I'll show you."  
  
Ann dusted her hands off a bit and got behind Karen, wrapping her arms   
  
around her and controlling her hands to mold the dough correctly.  
  
Karen let her control her, a blush becoming deep and dark on her  
  
face. She swallowed a lump in her throat as she started to get used to   
  
the motion and feel of the dough on her hands. She didn't say anything   
  
though, liking the feel of Ann's arms around her much better than the   
  
dough.  
  
Just as Ann finished, Karen snapped out of her reverie and   
  
smiled at her. Ann gave her a half-glomp from behind and giggled, "It's   
  
so fun to hug you. You get all red and blushy."   
  
Karen, then, turned even more red and 'blushy', but she tried to   
  
hide it. Ann poked her face with her powdery fingers, a little   
  
playfulness in her eyes, leaving a white dot on Karen's nose. Karen   
  
blinked as she went cross-eyed trying to see it and poked Ann on her   
  
forehead, sticking her tongue out at her childishly.  
  
Deciding that if they got out of hand with the flour, they'd   
  
have to clean up later, they stopped their poking. They continued with   
  
their pizza's, twirling them in the air so they would be even. Then   
  
spreading sauce, both looking exactly alike so far. The toppings were   
  
put at the same time as the cheese, and now the pizzas looked different.   
  
They put them in the oven and set the timer, smiling at each other.   
  
"That didn't take as long as I thought it would."  
  
Ann grinned, washed her hands and gave her a little V with her   
  
fingers, "Ann's way is the good way!" She smirked at her little   
  
advertisement line, pulling a giggle out of Karen, who was also washing   
  
her hands, and they waited for the oven to ring. Ann thought to herself,   
  
'Perfect time to pick it up.' She looked at Karen and dried off as she   
  
spoke, "I'll be back in around 15 minutes, Okay? Can you take the pizza   
  
out when it's done..?"  
  
Karen blinked a little and nodded, having woke up early just to   
  
spend time with Ann on her birthday, 'I guess I can go 15 minutes   
  
without her.' She sweatdropped at herself and sat on the cleaned   
  
counter, facing the oven but turning her head towards Ann, "Sure thing."  
  
Ann stepped out the door and shut it, breaking out into a sprint   
  
as she ran to the Blacksmith's Shop, raising her hand to knock. The door   
  
opened right before she knocked and nearly hit Saibara in the head,   
  
blinking a few times as he handed her a small box with the locket   
  
inside, closing the door before she could reply, "..Eh?"  
  
Staring at the box for a moment with a still slightly dazed look   
  
on her face, she opened it and smiled happily as it shone back at her   
  
in the sun's light. She took it out of the case and examined it   
  
carefully, checking each detail to see if it was perfect, "Alright. I   
  
hope she likes it! It's better than Jack's present, so.."   
  
She reached into her pocket and pulled out two small,   
  
heart-shaped pictures of them and placed it inside, closing it and   
  
feeling the inscription in the back, reading the Japanese characters and   
  
blinking a little, "Aishiteru..?" She gasped and sweatdropped at   
  
herself, exhaling, "Am I really that obvious?" She slipped it back into   
  
the case and hid it gently into a pocket in her overalls.  
  
By the time she returned to the Inn, Karen had finished taking   
  
the pizza out of the oven and it looked delicious. Only 15 minutes left   
  
until the party and they had to get ready. Ann phoned Elli and asked if   
  
she could bring a cake for them, "You know, I can pay you, Elli."  
  
Over the receiver, Elli denied the offer politely, "Don't worry   
  
about it! It's my gift to Karen."  
  
Ann grinned a little as she nodded, speaking into the phone,   
  
"Alright then!"  
  
It wasn't a really formal party, so they weren't really going to  
  
dress up in anything other than their normal clothes. And since Karen   
  
was planning on drinking, she didn't want to be uncomfortable. But Ann,   
  
despite her tomboy-ish appearance had slipped on some Watermelon   
  
flavored lipgloss, just in case.   
  
-------------------------------------------------------  
  
It was the middle of the party and Karen was having a little   
  
drinking contest with Grey, a circle of people surrounding them. "Come   
  
on Grey! You can take it!"  
  
"Chug! chug! chug! Go Karen!"  
  
By then, Grey had nearly passed out and Karen was barely even   
  
tipsy, "Looks like I won! good try, Grey."   
  
Grey had his head down on the table, one hand holding half a   
  
bottle of beer and his other hand waving up in defeat, "Gnruh.."  
  
Meanwhile, Ann was speaking to an uninvited Jack, both had no   
  
drinks at all, "Come on, Ann.. Popuri means nothing to me. Take me back,   
  
please?" Jack smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her.  
  
Ann pushed him away and shook her head with an annoyed look, "No   
  
Jack, I can't trust you anymore.. Can't you see that?"  
  
Jack let her push him away, not getting angry like most   
  
ex-boyfriends, but instead pulling a Blue feather out of his pocket..  
  
Karen stood on the bar counter and called for everyone attention   
  
with a grin, "Everyone! Thanks for coming! It's my birthday! And I'm   
  
glad you all could make it," She gave a little wink to everyone then   
  
continued, "But there's one person I should be thanking especiall-" She   
  
stopped in mid-sentence as she saw Jack present a blue feather to Ann,   
  
both oblivious to the fact that she was even speaking.   
  
Karen shook her head a little, her happy mood changing   
  
dramatically and speaking again, "Actually.. I-I'm sorry, but I have to   
  
go now." She jumped down from the bar and ran out of the beautifully   
  
decorated Inn, tears stinging at her eyes and blurring her vision as she   
  
ran in a familiar direction towards the mountain.  
  
Without realizing where Karen had gone, Jack leaned in to kiss   
  
Ann, but she slapped him straight across the face with a disgusted look   
  
on her face, "I told you, Jack! I don't love you! I never did, and I   
  
never will!"   
  
She stared at him for a moment wondering how she could have ever   
  
even liked him. Then she walked to the table where Karen was sitting a   
  
moment ago and asked where she was. Grey replied, "Something hic Must   
  
have.. Yeah.. wrong.. Cause she door.. to hic the ran."  
  
Ann blinked and looked at the door, knowing what Grey said   
  
because she's had to deal with drunk people all her life. She quickly   
  
made her way to the door and looked around the outside, wondering which   
  
way she could have gone. 'The mountain!'  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
Karen sat in her usual spot, thinking bitterly about Jack and   
  
how he ruined her chances, "Second time.. This is the second time he's   
  
taken her away from me." She sighed and looked at the mountain's trees,   
  
shining a hypnotic green-blue color in the moonlight. Karen stood and   
  
walked to it's trunk, leaning against it and sighing while she stared   
  
over the mountain view, her eyes glistening a little with tears that she   
  
prevented from falling, "I thought we were getting somewhere too.. I   
  
can't tell her about him and Popuri now, if she's marrying him.. But she   
  
deserves to know! She shouldn't get married to him without knowing   
  
everything." Karen was jumping to conclusions again.  
  
Ann rushed her way up the mountain trail, looking around for   
  
where Karen might be, hoping her intuition was right again. She stumbled   
  
a little, nearly falling off the side of the mountain and gasped,   
  
deciding to slow down a bit. It was like a deja vu from all those years   
  
ago when she had nearly fallen off this exact mountain. She sighed in   
  
relief and continued to make her way up the pass, thinking to herself,   
  
"I hope she's alright.."  
  
Shutting her eyes and letting a cold tear slide down her cheek,   
  
Karen thought in sad disgust, "He proposed to her.." She opened her eyes   
  
again and stared up at the moon, the cold Fall wind causing her to   
  
shiver a little from the cold, "Goddess, why do you play with my   
  
emotions like this..?" Karen turned as she heard footsteps approaching   
  
the summit, scared that it might be a wolf or something and putting her   
  
hand near her chest with worry.. Karen seems to change alot when she's   
  
sad.  
  
Ann reached the summit and paused to catch her breath, seeing   
  
Karen in the moonlight and nearly gasping at how amazing she appeared,   
  
'She looks like a Goddess..' She swallowed a lump in her throat and   
  
watched her for a moment before her senses knocked back into place. She  
  
walked up to her, trying not to be amazed by her appearance, catching a   
  
glimpse of Karen's more innocent, less tough side, "Karen.."  
  
"Ann.." Karen inwardly shook her head. Ann was probably the last   
  
person she wanted to see right now. 'Oh, she's probably going to be   
  
like, "Jack proposed to me! Wanna be my Maid of Honor?!" Like how she   
  
did for his birthday..' Ann still hadn't told her about him cheating on   
  
her, so Karen obviously thought they were still together. And Karen   
  
hadn't told her about them either.  
  
Ann looked at her with a worried look, seeing Karen's tears.   
  
She brought her hand up to wipe them away and thought to herself, 'I   
  
want her to always be happy..' She spoke quietly, not wanting to upset   
  
her any more than she already was, "What's wrong..?" She was confused as   
  
to why she had run out, having been too busy turning down Jack.  
  
Karen turned her head away quickly, yet sadly, really not   
  
wanting to be pitied right now. She looked up to see the hurt expression   
  
on Ann's face and sighed, reluctantly facing her again, "It's.. It's   
  
nothing. I just wanted to be alone, that's all." Karen hoped her message   
  
had gotten through to Ann, but obviously, it hadn't. She was still   
  
there, still taunting her with her presence.  
  
"I know there's something wrong when you storm out of your own   
  
birthday party.. Please tell me, Karen." Her hand was cautiously resting   
  
on the side of her face in case she wanted to turn away again, using her   
  
thumb to wipe away her cold tears.  
  
'She doesn't know how much it hurts..' Karen let a new tear   
  
slide down her cheek as she shut her eyes, quietly whispering back to   
  
her, "Like I said a few days ago.. He's always been first in your   
  
mind.." Karen kept her eyes shut, not wanting to see Ann look at her   
  
the way she knew she was looking at her.  
  
Ann blinked a little and stared at her in disbelief, suddenly   
  
realizing something, 'I still haven't told her about Jack and Popuri..'  
  
Ann shut her eyes and wrapped her arms around Karen with her head   
  
shaking a little, not saying a word until they let go.  
  
Karen returned the hug sadly, feeling as if she was going to   
  
hate what was to come. She buried her face into Ann's shoulder and let a   
  
couple more tears fall as she held onto her weakly.  
  
Soon, Ann released Karen, still keeping her within arm's length   
  
and smiling a little at her, wanting to cheer the other girl up now. She   
  
knew that she loved her, or 'Has feelings for her' as she had said   
  
before, and she returned them. She returned them in full force.  
  
'Here it comes..' Karen thought to herself.  
  
Ann giggled a little, thinking how similar of a situation this   
  
was to six days after Jack's birthday. Or rather, two days before   
  
Karen's, "So you love me, huh?"  
  
Karen's eyes shot open as she stared at Ann in disbelief, 'This   
  
isn't what I need right now, Ann..' She sighed a little and decided, no   
  
matter what, she couldn't get mad at Ann, "I never said that, exactly..   
  
But.." She stopped herself and bit her lip for a moment, not wanting to   
  
admit it just yet, "So you don't love me back, huh?"  
  
Ann grinned a little, making Karen look at her with a completely   
  
lost expression. Ann reached into her back pocket and pulled out the   
  
little box with the bow around it, a little card attached with a chibi   
  
version of Ann in the front giving a peace sign. Inside, it said, "Happy   
  
Birthday, Karen! 3"   
  
As Karen took the box slowly, wondering what could be so small   
  
other than.. It couldn't be.. She looked at the card, then at Ann,   
  
seeing her mimic the pose on the card, getting a light giggle out of   
  
Karen, "Th-Thanks, Ann.." She thought she hadn't gotten her a present   
  
because she was throwing her a party. She eagerly, yet slowly, opened   
  
the box and released a gasp as she saw the heart-shaped locket staring   
  
her in the face, "Ann, this is.. You.. I can't.." Her head hurt at the   
  
search of words and what to tell her.  
  
Ann watched her with a grin, thinking, 'This is my chance.' She   
  
took the locket from the box and opened it, showing her the picture of   
  
the two of them inside, then closing it again as she showed her the   
  
back, the inscription, "Aishiteru" Shining clearly in the moonlight.  
  
Karen watched with amazement, not knowing exactly what the Kanji   
  
meant, but thinking to herself, 'All the things she's done for me   
  
today.. The party, the present.. I think it's ten times better than the   
  
cow plushie we picked out for Jack.' Wordlessly, she turned and smiled   
  
back at her, tears of happiness now stinging at her eyes instead.  
  
Ann caught that sign and giggled, thinking, 'Yes! This is going   
  
exactly how I want it to.' She put the locket around Karen's neck and   
  
let her lift her hair before she hooked it together, "I bet you don't   
  
know what the Kanji means, do you?"  
  
Karen shook her head a little, still at a loss for words.  
  
Ann spoke slowly as if she were teaching Karen something, "It   
  
means.. Aishiteru. Now.. Do you know what THAT means?" She smiled at   
  
her and wrapped her arms around her neck.   
  
Karen wrapped her arms around her waist as if it were a reflex   
  
and, once again, shook her head, though this time, words actually came   
  
out of her mouth, "I.. Don't."  
  
Ann leaned in closer to her so her lips were about five   
  
centimeters from hers, thinking inwardly, 'Perfect!' She whispered   
  
quietly, her eyes never leaving Karen's, "It means.. I love you."   
  
Ann gently pressed her lips against Karen's, a pure and innocent   
  
kiss shared between them. Karen had a million thoughts running through   
  
her head as she returned the kiss, still shocked and wordless for the   
  
moment, but extremely, utterly happy. They both wanted that moment to   
  
last forever, but they knew it wouldn't. So their lips parted and they   
  
stared at each other, Ann's arms around Karen's neck and Karen's arms   
  
around Ann's waist. Ann eagerly waited for a response and Karen looked   
  
at her with stars and hearts in her eyes.  
  
Karen shook the shapes out of her eyes and smiled back at her,   
  
"Heh.. Watermelon." She licked her own lips a little as she tasted the   
  
sweet lipgloss, "..I love you too, Ann. I always have.. And I think I   
  
always will." She then looked down guiltily, "But what about Jack..?   
  
Didn't he.. Propose to you?" She didn't want to pity him, and she didn't   
  
want to mention him cheating on her, but she had a feeling Ann still   
  
liked him, though her last hunch about her wanting her to be her Maid of   
  
Honor being wrong..  
  
Ann blinked and finally figured out why she had run. Karen saw   
  
Jack propose to her, "I said no. He was cheating on me and, it turns   
  
out, I didn't like him as much as I love you. Sorry I didn't tell you   
  
before.."  
  
Karen smiled at her with a little sweatdrop, 'So she already   
  
knew.' She shook her head, "It's alright.. But.. How are we supposed to   
  
tell our parents?"  
  
Ann grinned a little at her and said, "Who says we're together?"   
  
She caught the look that was about to form on Karen's face and giggled,   
  
"Just kidding! At least I hope we are."  
  
"We are." Karen smiled and leaned in for another kiss, this one   
  
slightly more passionate, but still innocent.  
  
As they parted a second time, Ann spoke again, "Think Dad will   
  
be okay handling the party by himself?"  
  
Karen took a seat near the tree trunk, leaning against it with a   
  
giggle and pulling the other girl down with her, Karen's back against   
  
the tree and Ann's back against Karen, "I think he'll manage."  
  
Ann sighed as she leaned against her, resting her head on the   
  
other girl's shoulder and basking in her presence, "Good.. I didn't want   
  
to leave anyways."  
  
Karen grinned and rested her head against Ann's, "Same here." 


End file.
